Movie Trivia Quiz #6

Gregvan · 11 July 2007, 10:11 PM

Back by popular demand! Well, not really, but I decided to bother everyone with another trivia question about the many links between real WWI aviation personalities and the movies.

This fellow is a real-life WWI flying ace who flew as a stunt pilot for several movies in the 1930's. Can you name the ace and the particular movie he is suited up for here? The aircraft is a Thoms Morse Scout.

No, it's not

Cecil Lewis or

Bogart Rogers. They were aces-turned-scriptwriters, but not stunt pilots

karrart · 12 July 2007, 12:44 PM

a wild and looney guess here.....Oliver Le Boutillier? Don't know the movie.
Robert Karr
OLD BIRDS STAYING ALIVE - THE AVIATION ART OF ROBERT KARR

Rod_Filan · 12 July 2007, 01:34 PM

How about Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in some movie I don't know the name of.

Cheers
Rod

Gregvan · 12 July 2007, 08:58 PM

Hi,

Well, the artist fellow got it right. The guy in the photo is

Oliver LeBoutillier from Montclair, New Jersey (where's Mike O'Neal when we need him?). In 1916 "Boots" LeBoutillier joined the RNAS in Canada and flew Sopwith Triplanes and Camels. He was still in the Squadron when it became 209 Sqn RAF, and took part in the 21 April 1918 dogfight in which Richthofen was brought down (yes, by ground fire - but he was there!). On 9 May 1918 he shot down Ltn

Johann Janzen in his triplane of Jasta 6, but Janzen survived. By the end of the war "Boots" had 10 victories and over 600 flying hours, He went on to become a skywriter and movie stunt pilot. He also flew in air races and gave Amelia Earhart her first instruction in a twin-engine aeroplane. He amassed 19,000 flying hours in his life and died in 1983.

The photo shows him during the filming of the 1933 epic "The Eagle and the Hawk", starring Frederic March and Cary Grant. The script was co-written by

Bogart Rogers, another WWI flying ace who had flown with the British. The main "stars" of the film were two DeHavilland two-seaters, the Tommy Morse Scouts were used as set dressing. I think the DeHavilland was a modified DH-4B, though Hugh Wynne always called it a DH-9 in his book and articles. It somewhat resembles a DH.9A, but I think a US-built DH04B is more likely:

I cringe at the goofy three-color camouflage and a squadron emblem of a skeleton bearing a scythe (like the Grim Reaper emblem of the 13th Aero) in what is supposed to be an RFC squadron, but I still love this flick. Note the "BR VII" stenciling on the rudder, which I guess was miscopied from photos of the Breguet 14?

Greg